A jury has retired to decide the fate of a man charged with GBH after he allegedly bit the thumb of his wife's mother during a row.

34-year-old Ashfaq Shah, of Barclay Close, Watford, claims he bit the thumb of Robina Kuesar, after she and her husband burst into his home and began beating him for no reason.

The defendant is deaf and during a trial at St Albans Crown Court has, with the use of Urdu sign language interpreters, said he did not know what was happening when he was set upon and as soon as he realised the thumb was bleeding he let go.

Mrs Kuesar has needed four operations on the damaged thumb and still has problems more than two years after the incident, the court heard.

Cameron Crowe, prosecuting, said Shah knew exactly what he was doing when he bit down hard on the victim's thumb while they were arguing over a family dispute.

Shah denies GBH.

Judge Stephen Warner said he would not take a verdict between the one-hour lunch break, which begins at 1pm.